When you inhale the sweet scent of a rose, the peaceful smell of lavender, or the invigorating aroma of fresh citrus, it’s really the essential oils of those plants that brings so much delight to your senses.

Therapeutic-grade essential oils are extracted by steam-distillation or cold expression, and are powerfully concentrated. One drop of peppermint oil is equivalent to 28 cups of peppermint tea!

What role do essential oils play in the life of a plant?

Essential oils are vital to a plant’s health. They have many functions: they bring nutrition into each cell; carry waste out; regulate growth {like hormones}; aid in metabolism {like enzymes}; provide the basis for the plant’s immune system; and initiate healing when a part of the plant is cut or wounded.

{For detailed info regarding botany and its relation to essential oil production — including plant metabolism, cells, reproduction, and more — go here.}.

What makes essential oils so powerful in supporting wellness in the human body?

Pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils, which are free from any synthetic agents and which have been carefully extracted, retain the same regenerating, oxygenating, and immune-strengthening properties that they offer to plants.

The power behind their therapeutic qualities lies in their chemical compounds, also referred to as constituents. Essential oil constituents can be divided into tow main groups: the hydrocarbons and the oxygenated compounds. These constituents hold amazing properties — they are antiseptic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anesthetic, anti-depressant, anti-viral, and antioxidant {and that’s not even a complete list!}!

Each oil contains a varying number of constituents — anywhere from 200 to 800! — and it is the diversity of these constituents, as well as their proportion to each other within the same oil, that enables the oils to provide incredible benefits to the human body.

Essential oil constituents.

Furthermore, essential oils are so small in molecular size that they can quickly penetrate the skin. They are lipid soluble and thus capable of penetrating cell membranes. This means that they can reach every cell of the body within 20 minutes and then be metabolized.

What are their health benefits?

There are too many to list in this post! Pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils support the human body in all of its functions.

Here’s a sketch of why they’re so amazing: essential oils are oxygenating, antibacterial, anti-infectious, and antiviral. They support the immune system and help to remove toxins from the body. They pass through cell membranes and are able to break down bacteria and viruses. When diffused, essential oils provide air purification and promote emotional well-being — uplifting moods, calming anxiety, and supporting deeper sleep.

For a more comprehensive list of the marvelous ways that essential oils promote health and wellbeing in both body and mind, check out this post from Dr. Josh Axe.

How long have essential oils been used therapeutically?

{Most of the historical information below was garnered from the reference book Modern Essentials, A Contemporary Guide to the Therapeutic Use of Essential Oils, 5th Edition. Get a copy here.}

Essential oils have a long and illustrious history. Many annals of antiquity reveal that plants and their essential oils were man’s first medicines. {I believe this is by God’s perfect design.} Egypt, China, Greece, Rome, and Israel are among the ancient cultures that utilized plant-extracted oils.

From Egyptian hieroglyphics, we know that essential oils were used for healing and embalming, as well as for perfumes. The Chinese were also skilled in the art of using aromatic plants for healing, as seen in an ancient text that sites medicinal uses for over 300 plants.

Ancient Greece and Rome used oils for massages, perfumes, and baths; there is even an account of Hippocrates using aromatic essences to fumigate the city of Athens during an outbreak of the plague.

Even the writings of the Old and New Testaments contain a total of 188 references to oils, such as hyssop, frankincense, myrrh, and spikenard; there are also many references to ointments, aromatics, and incenses.

In the culture of ancient Israel, oils and aromatic plants were used for healing {think of the parable of the Good Samaritan}, anointing {think of David’s anointing as King}, and embalming {think of the spices brought by Christ’s followers to prepare His body for burial}.

One of the most well-known passages of the New Testament {and one of my very favorites} describes a scene where a penitent woman anions the feet of Jesus with a costly and fragrant oil, spikenard, and wipes His feet with her hair.

In Medieval times, essential oils were fumigated in order to combat the horrific outbreak of the plague that took so many thousands of lives all across Europe. Amazingly, there are accounts that those who were in closest contact with the aromatics {that is most likely vaporized or diffused essential oils}, especially the perfumers, possessed some immunity to the deadly illness!

Has modern science affirmed what past cultures have practiced?

In the past few years, scientists, doctors, and researchers have begun scrutinizing essential oils anew, and are beginning to uncover their amazing potential. Check out this research regarding the affects that frankincense oil has on breast cancer {read a summary here}. Or these studies that highlight the antibiotic properties of oregano oil.

And if you’re feeling very inquisitive, there is a comprehensive list of scientific research related to essential oils over at AromaticScience.com. {I highly recommend perusing the list — you may be happily amazed at what you read.} 🙂

What to do with all this info??

Do some research on your own and decide if essential oils are a good fit for your family’s lifestyle. It’s hard not to want to try them once you know about what they can do! We use essential oils in our home daily, many times a day: for boo-boos, bug bites, tummy aches, sniffles, and even aromatherapy. When used correctly, they’re safe and effective, even for the littlest members of the family. 🙂

If you’d like to know which pure essential oils I use for my family, please email me at flourishinhope@gmail.com.

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Well hello there, friend!

I'm so glad you're here! I’m Lydia -- happy wife, busy mama of five littles, and three-time overcomer of PPD + PPA. I believe fervently that God has called each one of us not just to live, but to flourish! I want this humble space to be a virtual and loving embrace - you are not alone! Read More…